The Forgotten Future
by iLeenOnTheWall
Summary: After the new Shoku warrior has been chosen, everything is not as peaceful as it seems. Some of the most notorious Heylin villains have planned something sinister that can finally put an end to the Xiaolin warriors, unbeknownst to our heroes. How will they retaliate against such insidious plots? Xiaolin style of course!
1. Prologue

**Whoo! Finally releasing my very first fanfiction story! **

**I've actually had this story in mind ever since the third season ended and a fourth season was not expected, but it was just something I played in my head to satisfy my need for more Xiaolin Showdown.**

**I will admit this now, I'm not exactly the best writer (actually, I can't write well…AT. ALL.), but I felt the need to tell this story in case others sought out a Season Four as well. Although, now I realize that they're going to release Xiaolin Chronicles... I am hoping my story doesn't interfere with whatever will happen in the official continuation of the series, but we'll see…**

**Also, me putting "Raimundo" and "Omi" in the character category doesn't mean they're the only ones I'm focusing on. It just means I think they're going to have the most focus (on the protagonists side, that is. Don't worry, the antagonists will play their parts as well). "Chase" is there because he will be the more involved villain (I think).**

**(WARNING: OC is included)  
As much as I don't like OC's, the one I have in mind for this story is kind of necessary for a few reasons: some which I'll reveal at the end of this chapter and some I'll reveal at the very end of the story.**

**I apologize in advance for any grammar errors or just terrible writing. I tried.**

**Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**(One week ago…)**

Somewhere within the deepest valleys of the country, a seemingly never-ending dirt road stretched beyond the horizon, and on that road trudged a certain, young Brazilian monk. Kicking up a dust cloud beneath his feet, Raimundo let out a heavy sigh.

The competition for the role of Shoku warrior had officially started fourteen hours ago, and he STILL had no idea what kind of quest he should complete.

Despite everyone's initial attempts to _find out what the others_—err, I mean—come up with their _own_ ideas, Chase and Wuya's untimely intrusion seemed to spark a chain reaction within the others. Kimiko was the first to leave the temple without saying a word of what she was planning on doing. All that was last seen of her was fire and resolve clearly reflected in her eyes. Clay left soon after, heading in the opposite direction of Kimiko's path towards the sea whilst using the Longi Kite. As for Omi, he, along with Dojo, seemed to have mysteriously disappeared into thin air. Hmph. He probably wanted to be completely sure no one knew of his quest because it is such an oh-so secret, elaborate plan. It seemed like Rai was the only one who hasn't struck inspiration.

Feeling like he'll never catch up to his friends at this rate, Raimundo decided to leave the temple as well, heading in no direction in particular, where he could only hope an idea would magically pop into his head. That was three hours ago.

Nope, still have no idea.

Having wandered aimlessly without really paying attention to his surroundings, Raimundo finally snapped out of his thoughts at the sight of a familiar sister-temple sitting at the peak of a high-rising mountaintop.

_Huh? How did I end up all the way over here?_ Rai was more than surprised at his unplanned destination.

Just then, an imaginary lightbulb hovered over Rai's head. _Maybe the Guan-man can give a few tips on what I should pursue for my last quest. There were never really any rules that said I couldn't ask for help._ Rai smirked to himself as he ran towards the top of the hill to greet an old master and friend.

* * *

By the time Raimundo made it to the top, he was panting heavily as he keeled over in exhaustion. This would've been so much easier if Dojo was around. When he was finally able to catch his breath, he looked up at the sight of the temple's residing monks sitting in peaceful meditating positions, and in their midst was just the man Rai was seeking.

"Ah, Raimundo. I thought I felt your presence earlier," Master Monk Guan spoke with no hint of surprise in his voice. Despite being aware of the new presence, his eyes remained closed in meditation, making no attempt to catch a glimpse of his visitor—or maybe they were open, Raimundo could never tell.

"Hey Guan-o-a-mano!" Rai greeted a little too enthusiastically. Cutting right to the chase, he slyly added, "Say, I was wondering if you can help me come up with an—"

"No."

"But you didn't even hear the entire question!" Rai complained.

"You were going to ask me to help give you an idea on what quest you should take to ensure your position as the Shoku warrior." Raimundo opened his mouth to deny the claim, but Master Guan pretty much hit it spot on. Man, he was good.

"Okaaaaay, so you didn't need to hear me ask because you can apparently read minds. That or you have some major tiger instincts."

Master Monk Guan chuckled. Finally getting up from his sitting position, he faced Raimundo and placed a comforting hand on the dejected boy's shoulder. "This is a journey that you alone must decide for yourself. I cannot interfere with your choices. That would defeat the purpose of this test."

Great. Another dead end.

Seeing Raimundo's sudden change in demeanor as he sighed heavily, Master Monk Guan frowned with concern. He could see that this boy had so much potential and was full of great qualities, yet the boy could not see it in himself. All he needed was a little boost of encouragement.

"I may not be able to help you make your decision, but perhaps I can be of some assistance in guiding you towards your designated path."

"Really?" Rai's eyes twinkled with anticipation. He was finally getting somewhere after running around in circles for hours!

"You can take a seat beside me and meditate alongside your fellow monks."

Or not.

"What?! You want me to just sit here doing nothing? How is that supposed to help me?" Rai exclaimed in exasperation.

"Meditating is not 'doing nothing.' You are ridding yourself of all outside distractions, which allows you to not only be at peace but also focus your mind. Through meditation, you can achieve a great many things by concentrating your chi to flow to a specific designated part of your body—or in this case—your mind. That is how I was able sense your presence earlier," Master Monk Guan explained patiently, taking no offence to the hot-headed teen's indirect insult. The elder monk then resumed his sitting position, patting the empty space beside him for Raimundo to follow suit.

Raimundo growled in frustration, but lets himself fall onto his bottom in the space Master Monk Guan beckoned him to occupy, crisscrossing his legs and allowing his elbows to rest on his thighs.

After what seemed like hours, but in reality, no more than thirty minutes have passed, Rai felt a wave of disturbance. He opened one of his eyes to take a peak, but when he saw nothing, including the absence of Master Monk Guan, he closed it shut, thinking nothing of it. Suddenly, a large **CRASH** was heard in the direction of the temple, startling Raimundo from his meditating position. He turned his head towards the noise, which was now replaced by various shouts, an unplanned battle of some sort obviously playing out.

The Dragon of the Wind immediately made his way towards the commotion to help, unaware that though he was not able to come up with any ideas for his quest, his quest had just come to him.

* * *

**(Present time…)**

The elder monks were gracious in lending one of the towers for the younger monks to use in celebration of a recently inducted Shoku leader, not to mention the latest victory in a fight against every enemy they have ever encountered **(A/N: alliteration!). (1)** Gathered around a large table what was once laid out with the ultimate feast just a few minutes ago—even greater than that which Master Guan once prepared for them—the four friends were laughing as stories and tales were shared about their recent quests prior to the choosing of the new leader.

"…and then, I had a gang of squirrels—probably more than about a hundred of those lil' critters—tailin' right behind me, just like the entire gang at the annual family reunion homing in on the last rib-eye steak—I believe cousin Willy won the last time, and he's only five. Anyways, that's how I knew my quest reached a dead end." Clay shrugged. Despite his nasty predicament, he laughed along with his friends at his peculiar journey. Omi laughed a little less heartedly than the others and a little more nervously, dreading the day he would ever have to face a horde of rabid, vicious squirrels.

Kimiko decided to interrupt the laughter to share her own story. "Sounds similar to what happened to me." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but continued anyways. "I'm not particularly proud of what happened, but I'll say it once—and _only_ once—since I know you'll try to pry it out of me if I don't."

Everyone eagerly waited for the lone female warrior to continue, their interests peaking after she implied such secrecy.

"After Chase and Wuya stole the Reversing Mirror and Emperor's Scorpion from the vault, I immediately decided to try to get them back, even if it meant facing them alone—" **(2)**

"**WHAT**?!" Raimundo practically screamed in Kimiko's face. "You tried to take on **both** Chase **and** Wuya by yourself?! Are you **CRAZY**?!" Rai flailed his arms with panic that matched the terror heard in his outburst.

Kimiko glared daggers at Rai, who casually avoided eye contact. "I **may** have gotten a little hot-tempered at the moment, okay?" Kimiko took in a deep breath to calm herself down. "And I didn't just waltz in Chase's lair trying to pick a fight. My plan was to sneak in, grab the Wu, then sneak back out. But as luck would have it, the jungle cats found me out and chased after me. Or maybe it was luck that I didn't run into Chase or Wuya." Kimiko _was_ lucky to escape with just a few scratches and bruises and most of her clothes intact after being mauled by a bunch of cat-warriors.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Rai replied sheepishly, trying to console the hot-tempered female without further angering her.

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Failed mission. That's that," Kimiko abruptly ended her story.

"Guess we don' have the best of luck with animals, do we?" Clay joked, easing the building tension. Kimiko gave him a small smile as a token of appreciation.

"That's a definite no," Kimiko responded. "So, Omi, what quest did you end up deciding on?"

Omi immediately tensed up now that he was the center of attention, which he would have enjoyed on any other occasion. He was expecting his turn to share his solo journey with the others, but that does not mean he was prepared to give an answer. He stared blankly at nothing in particular, his mind flooding with blurry visions of memories, memories he retained despite them being a part of an alternate, and probably best-forgotten, timeline.

He vaguely remembered his journey to the bleak future, where he witnessed Jack Spicer's success in building his evil empire and watched his friends' lives terminate one by one, right before his eyes.

He vaguely remembered befriending an untainted Chase Young and finally fulfilling the purpose of his journey by twisting fate, only to cause the fall of Master Monk Guan.

He vaguely remembered fate catching up and snatching Chase back into the clutches of the Heylin side.

What he remembered clearly was his failure to help out a friend. If only he could have succeeded, a fallen Xiaolin warrior would have been redeemed. But Omi knew better than to mess with the flow of time again. He is just going to have to accept the fact that the Chase Young he knew in the past is not and will never be the same as the Chase Young he knows in the present.

As all these thoughts ran through his mind, Omi failed to notice his friends huddled around him, Clay waving his hand in the younger monk's face to catch his attention.

"Hey, partner, you alright there?" Clay asked his younger companion, his voice looming with concern. Omi shook his head briskly as he snapped out of his trance-like state, now facing his friends' worried faces.

Analyzing the situation before him, Omi gave the biggest, reassuring smile he could offer and replied, "I am, as you say, doing fruity." Hearing the little one back to his old self, everyone relaxed. Someone in the background managed to mumble that the phrase is supposed to be 'doing peachy,' but the words were lost on Omi. "I, actually, cannot remember what happened during my journey all that well." It was, technically, true. Everything was a bit hazy, as if it was all just part of a dream—or rather—a nightmare.

"Is that even possible? With a big head like yours—and an even bigger ego—you would think you'd remember every one of your achievements," Rai joked, earning him yet another one of Kimiko's infamous punches.

"I do not forget any of my triumphs," Omi stated in a matter-of-fact tone, then hung his head in shame, "but in this case, I did not accomplish my intended goal." Rai frowned, realizing just how disheartened his friend was truly feeling. "What I do recall is my attempt to change the past so that Chase never turned to the Heylin side, but judging by how things are the same in the present, I have failed to do so," Omi added despondently.

All the warriors sat in silence. The news actually didn't come as much of a shock to them as one would think. Before the announcement of the new Shoku warrior, everyone, coincidentally at the same moment, suddenly remembered a series of events that never happened, or so they believed at that time. After hearing Omi's confession, everything made a lot more sense, to some extent.

"Soooo," Omi decided to break up the awkward silence. "What journey had our new leader taken that has earned him such an honorable title?" The atmosphere relaxed once more in the change of conversation.

"Heh. It wasn't easy, I can tell you that," Rai chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, guys, I've been meaning to tell you—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a booming voice, coated in a thick Australian accent, resounding throughout the room.

"Miss me, Brazil?"

The young monk warriors instantly snapped their heads in attention as their eyes frantically searched for the source of the new voice, all but one instinctively getting into defensive positions. Their gazes finally made contact with the culprit, to which their fierce looks changed into that of confusion and uncertainty.

"Could you have been any more subtle?" Rai grumbled under his breath as he face-palmed himself.

At an open window, just about twenty-feet above the ground, stood the silhouette of a tall, lean female, with her back placed against the windowsill and arms crossed casually. Upon closer inspection, one could see she had ashy orange hair that was neatly braided, the end reaching all the way down to her elbows. Her skin was lightly tanned, the color matching well with her two golden-brown eyes. What surprised the group were the clothes she was currently dressed in: a monk garment much like their own. She was dressed in a red top and white, baggy pants accompanied with simple, black shoes. The only difference was the color of their sashes, where she wore a familiar black-colored belt. On her left middle finger was a thick-bronze colored ring with peculiar black jagged lines designed all around. An oval-shaped black jewel rested on top, shining brilliantly within the moonlight.

"Geez, no need to be so guarded." The girl slightly raised both of her hands in the air, as if in defeat. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" She relaxed her arms before swiftly flipping off from her previous post, landing gracefully on the ground below. Looking at Raimundo expectantly, she waved her hands to motion for him to speak up.

"Ahem," Rai cleared his throat, more so to stall. "Guys, this is Ashleigh. She became my temporary apprentice for my final quest."

"G'day, mates!" Ashleigh saluted the shocked monks. "And I would prefer it if you called me Ash," she added.

No one reacted quite as Ash expected. She stared questioningly at the water, fire and earth elemental warriors, whose eyes bulged from their sockets and jaws dropped down to the ground, for differing reasons.

Omi couldn't believe that Raimundo had an apprentice before him! He may not be the leader, but he had more skills and knowledge than Rai! He should be the one with an apprentice first!

Kimiko did not like the tone of familiarity Ashleigh held with Rai. Not one bit. She's definitely on the shady list.

Clay was sure that the mermaid the monks had encountered in the past was quite the looker—that is, until she turned into a rampaging, hideous, not to mention, slimy monster who wanted to take over the world—but this red-headed girl definitely had her beat in the beauty department.

"Umm, guys? Helloooooo?" Raimundo tried to get a reaction, any reaction, from his gaping teammates, all still standing stiff like statues. **(A/N: Phew! Talk about alliteration. AGAIN.)**

"I think you broke 'em, Brazil," Ash mused, closely observing a frozen Omi.

"I thought I already told you to stop calling me that," Raimundo complained, to which Ash simply chuckled in response. Teasing her mentor was too much fun, and great for payback.

"And I'm pretty sure it's _your_ presence that—_rrrrr_—made them like this," Rai stated, grunting as he tried—and failed—to budge Clay's body or snap him out of his daze, even after rattling him vigorously. "Seriously, couldn't you have walked in like a normal person?" Ignoring Ash as she pursed her lips, Rai redirected his attention towards his friend. "Earth to Clay!" Rai shouted in the said cowboy's ears while knocking on his noggin.

Before Ash could retort, Omi, being the first to recover from the shock, interrupted. "Soooo. You are _an_ apprentice?" He purposely omitted stating to whom she was an apprentice of.

"You must be Omi," Ash replied while flashing him a smile. "And to answer your question, I am for now. Still in training—now under Master Monk Guan's guidance—but I was allowed a little break to visit my favorite troublemaker." Ash smirked as she pointed back at Rai, who was still struggling against Clay's unmovable form.

"Hmm," Omi paused as he thought of the possibilities. "Perhaps at your stay here, _I_ can be of some assistance in watching over your training."

_And show that _I _am the best teacher there is_. Omi smiled smugly to himself.

"Ha. Thanks, but no thanks," Ash replied, understanding Omi's underlying motive. "One teacher who's younger than me is bad enough. Don't want my rep damaged too much, now."

Omi grumbled under his breath in frustration.

"Sorry, Ankle-biter. Nothing personal," Ash tried to reassure Omi, but Omi did not relent in his pouting. Ash sighed. "_But_. I don't mind you giving me a _few_ pointers here and there."

At that, Omi let out a small squeal of glee, completely ignoring Ash's implication of keeping his "helpful" tips to a minimum. It was only when he stopped sulking that he finally processed the choice of nickname Ash gave to him. "But I do not bite ankles nor have I ever bitten one."

Ash chuckled as she rubbed the confused boy's baldhead. "I sure hope not, _Ankle-biter_," she teased.

"It's Omi," Kimiko bluntly stated with crossed arms. She had clearly recovered from her initial shock. "I'm Kimiko. And _don't_ get any ideas trying to butcher my name," she stated crossly.

Ash bit her lip in worry. Great. She _just_ met Brazil's friends and she already managed to get on one of their bad sides, although she wasn't sure why. Perhaps she came off too strong. But Rai had told her so many positive and great things about them, especially this Japanese girl in particular, so Ash expected a happy meet and greet. Then again, she _did_ burst in the middle of their little festivity uninvited. Maybe she should've knocked like a civilized person…

"Hmph. Good luck with tha—_oomph_!" Rai grunted in surprise as he was thrown onto the floor thanks to a reanimated Clay, who jolted out of his stupor and immediately ran straight up to Ash.

"Howdy there, partner-The name's Clay-But you can call me anything you want-Only if you want to, that is-Don't mind the others-They're just a little shocked, that's all." Clay spoke in one breath, a large grin plastered on his face.

Ash shot him back a genuine smile. "Thanks for the warm welcome. Not even Brazil reacted as friendly as you just did when we first met. I think I like you the most," Ash bluntly replied. Clay's face turned a brighter shade of pink.

"If I recall correctly—which I am—you gave me reason to react like I did." Rai patted dust off his clothes that got dirtied from his fall. In the background, Ash rolled her eyes and gave a 'yeah-yeah' gesture with the wave of her hand. "And why does Clay receive all this special treatment from you?"

"Because," Ash began, "I show respect to those who deserve it." She childishly stuck her tongue out at Raimundo to prove her point.

Before anyone could say anything else, another interruption was added.

"There you are, missy!" an angry voice filled the room. At the doorway was a small, green dragon—who looked more like a gecko—pointing accusingly at Ash. "You were suppose to wait at the entrance hall until I came back!"

"Aww, sorry, Dojo," Ash replied, showing no actual trace of remorse, but no sense of mockery either. "You were taking too long, so I decided to explore the temple on my own."

"I was gone for only five minutes!" Dojo exclaimed.

"Exactly."

"You're coming with me. Now," Dojo spoke in a reprimanding manner. "Master Fung needs to see the message you received from Master Monk Guan and—waaait a second, that ring looks familiar," Dojo pondered as he took a closer look at the ring on Ash's finger, rubbing his chin in the process.

"It's a mood ring. You've probably seen a billion of them at street vendors. Let's just get going." Ash ushered Dojo out the door, not before waving to the remaining monks. "Guess I'll be catching up with you guys later!"

The room was abruptly filled with silence as the sources of the two disturbances left the vicinity, that is, until Kimiko spoke up.

"So. An apprentice for your quest, huh?" Kimiko raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips.

_I've got a lot of explaining to do_. Raimundo groaned to himself. This is going to take a while.

As the young heroes continued their conversation, they failed to notice a shadow lurking within the night sky, two beady eyes trained on their every move.

* * *

**(Elsewhere, within the cavern of a certain Heylin immortal…)**

Sitting alone in a stark room, a Heylin witch was biding her time by observing the artifact she recently _collected_. Her fingers traced the symbol faintly etched within the Reversing Mirror. She fancied this particular Shen Gong Wu, seeing as how it was able to free her on more than one occasion from her ghostly prison. Growing tired of waiting, she began toying with it, pitting her Heylin magic against the magical object created by that annoying Xiaolin dragon master. With a flick of her finger, she sent a small, green flame flying towards the mirror, only for the flame to ricochet back as a frozen pellet. As the Heylin witch simply tilted her head to the side, her backfired magic barely grazing her hair, a smile crept on her face. Interesting. Now conjuring up a chunk of an ominously glowing, green rock, she was prepared to test it out as she did with her flame when a new reflection came into view of the mirror.

"Stop playing with that thing. We did not steal it for your amusement."

The red-headed witch brought her attention to the now present Chase Young, who was holding his usual, calm exterior, but could not hide the annoyance hinted behind his voice. Wuya merely smiled in response. They may be working together for the sake of evil, but that doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't enjoy getting under his skin.

"Aww, Chase, darling," Wuya cooed, "You're _still_ not bitter about the incident during the Heylin Eclipse, are you? You didn't leave me much of a choice when you stripped me of my most powerful of magic. I thought destroying you would give me those powers back. No hard feelings?"

Chase merely glared at her but made no attempt to retort, otherwise he would just be playing into Wuya's hands. Instead, he snapped his fingers, calling upon all his jungle cats to show the witch that he was in no mood for games.

"Alright, alright. I get it," Wuya interjected before Chase could set his ancient warriors upon her. She could handle them, even without her most powerful of magic, but she did not want to get into any unnecessary battles. "I'm just a little bored, that's all."

Seeing Wuya comply under his threat, Chase simply smirked and, once more, snapped his fingers, signaling his jungle cats to retreat within the shadows whence they came.

Wuya gave out a sigh of vexation. Chase always knows how to ruin the fun. Growing even more impatient, Wuya questioned, "When is the bean sprout coming anyways?"

"He's right here."

Announcing his own arrival, the devious Hannibal Roy Bean rode atop his loyal Ying-Ying Bird as they entered the cavern.

"Sorry to have postponed our long-awaited gathering 'til now. I was busy paying a little visit to our favorite Xiaolin monks to see to it that our plan is running smoothly," Hannibal Roy Bean smiled his wicked, toothy grin. "I trust you guys were able to _acquire_ the item like I expected?"

"Like taking candy from a baby. Four hero-wannabe babies, to be exact." Wuya returned a triumphant grin as she held up the Reversing Mirror for the living bean to see.

Pleased at the sight of the magical artifact, Hannibal let out a dark chuckle. "Excellent. Soon, we can begin the next phase."

"This has better work, Hannibal Roy." Chase interrupted, ignoring Hannibal's drabbling.

"Of course it'll work," Hannibal argued. "My master plan will guarantee the downfall of the Xiaolin warriors, and evil will reign over all."

"And yet, history of your past reveals your constant repeated failures, _especially_ at the hands of those Xiaolin monks. They've squashed you on many occasions like the cumbersome pest that you are." Chase smirked. "I was also a failure on your count, as you've failed to control me."

Hannibal growled. "You've had your fair share of failures. One of your recent plans to plunge the world into 'a thousand years of darkness' didn't even last a week!" Hannibal taunted.

"Boys, boys, control yourselves." Wuya, who was fiddling with her magical rock creation, finally intervened, not even bothering to hide the amusement shown on her face. Although she was relieved of her boredom by watching the two bicker at one another, they had a scheme to set into motion.

"So," Wuya continued with a soft, yet ominous voice. "What is this next phase?"

Hannibal, having pushed aside his previous engagement from his mind, gave a sinister smile. "We wait."

The poor rock held within Wuya's grasp was immediately crushed into tiny dust-sized particles. It was now the Heylin witch who was irritated with the talking bean.

"What?!" Wuya started shaking with anger. "You expect me to just sit here and twiddle my thumbs like I've been doing for the past week?"

"I didn't tell you to not do anything. Handle the Xiaolin monks the same way you always do. What we're waiting for is the opportune moment to strike."

"And when is that?" Wuya asked impatiently.

"When their newest member has gained everyone's trust."

* * *

**(1) Seriously. Did it bother anyone else when they ended the show with ALL the villains coming together and making a last ditch effort to fight against FOUR kids/teenagers who probably have less experience than most of them? I know they were trying to end the show with a big BANG, but it seemed highly unrealistic (for a _fictional_ show). Or maybe I'm just bitter that it messing with the continuity in my story. Haha.**

**(2) Remember in the second to last episode where Chase and Wuya appeared and said they decided to set aside their differences for the sake of evil, then proceeded to kick Xiaolin monk butts and entered the Shen Gong Wu vault? Well, now you know what they stole.**

**Sorry for the slow introductions. More intro to come, but I promise you there will be a story to tell (and it might just get darker later on, just as a pre-warning. I'll try to keep it as close to the Xiaolin universe as possible). I just need to get all these background information out of the way to make a sensible (and hopefully enjoyable) plot.**

**Oh yeah…the reason for my OC's existence. I wanted a Season 4 to reveal what each of the Xiaolin warriors' journeys were (it was as hard for me to come up with them as much as it was for the monks), and when I was trying to come up with Raimundo's, I kept in mind that he had to have been picked as leader for some good reason. Judging from the last two episodes of Season 3 (as well as other episodes), he has great leadership qualities, which I thought should have been further proven in his "last quest". Instead of trying to accomplish some big feat, which seemed like all of the warriors were trying to do, I felt like the leader had to prove his worth through showing his qualities for the role. I shall expand on this thought in a different chapter.**

**I'm trying to make Ash fit into the Xiaolin Showdown universe as much as possible, meaning I won't give her any special abilities, treatment or roles that will cause her outshine the main protagonists. Well, she is a newbie at this whole Xiaolin thing anyways, so she should be pretty harmless. If you are seeing that I am failing to keep my word on this, feel free to tell me. I don't want her outshining my favorite characters either :P She is central to keep the plot going in some ways, but I don't want her to be the main focus of the story, if you know what I mean.**

**I do have the whole story planned out already, it's just the details I need to work on.**

**Also, I wonder if I should expand on Clay's quest a bit more, maybe as a side-story. Tell me what you guys think. And no, I have no idea what his quest consists of other than rabid squirrels, so I would be writing it from scratch if I do end up writing about it.**

**I probably won't update within the next week since my finals are coming up (yes, I have summer school), but after that, I'll try to update the next chapter!**

**Reviews not necessary but much appreciated ^_^ Especially critiques. Be as harsh as you want (as long as it'll actually help me write better. I guess you can write 'boo, you suck!' if you really feel like it, but that doesn't tell me _why_ I suck)**


	2. The Forgotten Past (Part I)

**I JUST realized that Katnappe's real name is Ashley (having recently rewatched that episode). Ashleigh. Ashley. Ashleigh. Ashley. Oh well, not changing Ashleigh's name now. I would have if I didn't actually spend some time trying to figure out a name for her through a long process of elimination.**

**In this chapter (and probably will do in a lot of chapter), I do a lot of going back and forth on perspectives. I didn't write specifically who's POV it is in each section, cause I figured that you guys can figure it out ;]**

**I also decided not to italicize the flashback (which I know a lot of people do here in the world of fanfiction) because this flashback is just way too long, and I doubt you want to read a whole page of italicized words.**

**Just so you know, I may go back and fix a few sentences here and there, so that my writing actually sounds a little bit better, but it shouldn't affect the story. So if you're okay with my blah writing, no need to reread it when I do update.**

**Here's the next chapter! It actually turned out longer than I thought, so I'm splitting the flashback into two chapters. (effectively making this chapter shorter than the previous one)**

* * *

"I wonder why Master Fung wishes to see us," Omi wondered aloud as the four dragon warriors walked together down a hallway.

"It could be about that new sweetheart, Ashleigh," Clay spoke with a dreamy look on his face. Raimundo simply rolled his eyes.

"_Whom_ you still haven't mentioned anything about," Kimiko stated with annoyance, giving Rai a look of reproval.

"Relax Kimiko," Rai responded. "Ashleigh may be a bit of an oddball, but she's not like Dyris," Rai tried to reassure the girl.

"Suuure," Kimiko replied sarcastically while looking over at Clay, who was acting as smitten as he did with said mermaid.

* * *

Upon arrival at their destination, the four found themselves before an expecting Master Fung and Ashleigh. Ash looked over at them and gave a friendly wave. Only Clay responded with a wave of his own.

"Young Xiaolin warriors, I have brought you here to introduce you all to a new monk who has recently joined our sister temple, Ashleigh," Master Fung explained.

"Actually, just Ash." Master Fung simply gazed inquiringly at Ash, who smiled sheepishly in return. "Sorry, continue."

And continue he did. "I presume you are already well acquainted with one another?"

"Indeed."

"Unfortunately."

"Lucky that I am."

Master Fung raised a brow in question at hearing the three different responses, but made no comment.

"She will be staying with us for the next week as our guest, so I expect you all to be on your best behaviors," Master Fung mandated.

"Yes, Master Fung," the four stated in unison, either in complete enthusiasm or dismay.

"Is that it?" Kimiko did not mean any disrespect, but she could not hide her feelings of bitterness. She was prepared to leave, eager to escape the presence of the other female in the room.

"That is not the only news I have for you," Master Fung stated, stopping Kimiko in her tracks. "I have received information from Master Monk Guan regarding an ancient text known as the Scroll of the Dragons. I believe you are well aware of this matter, Raimundo."

Raimundo noticed everyone's eyes had directed towards him. "Huh? What's everyone looking at me for? I dunno nothing about a dragon scroll."

"Ah, but you do," Master Fung insisted. "This is the very scroll that has caught the attention of a great evil, whom you have successfully protected it against."

Raimundo's eyes widened in understanding. "Hannibal Roy Bean."

Master Fun nodded in reply. "Precisely."

"Hannibal?" Omi intervened, alarmed at this new revelation. "What could he possibly want with an ancient manuscript of the Xiaolin temple?"

"And what is this 'Scroll of the Dragons' anyways?" Rai pitched in his own question. "He seemed pretty eager to get his slimy little tentacles on it."

"All good questions, young monks," Master Fung replied. "The Scroll of the Dragons contains all knowledge concerned around the elemental dragons. In the hands of Hannibal Roy Bean, it would be useless, for the scroll can only be used by a Dragon warrior."

"Sounds mighty important," Clay commented, then added a thought. "But if Hannibal can't use it, why try an' steal it?"

"According to Ashleigh," Master Fung began, "Hannibal has revealed his plan to destroy the Scroll of the Dragons."

"And _why_ would she know that kind of information?" Kimiko asked, glancing Ash a suspicious glare.

"_Why_ do you ask?" Ash retorted, crossing her arm.

"That is not for me to reveal," Master Fung intervened. "If Ashleigh wishes to share her tale with you, she may do so at the time of her choosing."

Kimiko continued glaring at Ash, thinking about how she'll get the story out of Rai instead.

Seeing as how they were straying from the original matter at hand, Master Fung continued where he left off. "Why Hannibal would want the Scroll of the Dragons destroyed is still a mystery, but we have taken into consideration that his goal was to eliminate an important source of information—one that has been utilized by past generations of Dragon Masters—to prevent those in the present and future from reading it. Master Monk Guan is currently studying the contents of the scroll in attempt to figure out what Hannibal was specifically trying to prevent us from seeing."

The young monks stood in silence, reflecting on what new scheme Hannibal could be concocting now.

Having no more information left to share, Master Fung gave one, last warning. "Be wary, my dragon warriors, for I fear Hannibal's scheme has only just begun." With those departing words, Master Fung disappeared from their presence.

* * *

With Master Fung's absence, Kimiko decided this was the perfect opportunity to get Rai to talk.

"Okay, spill. What exactly happened during your quest?" Kimiko demanded. "I want details."

"What happened to me sharing at the time of my choosing?" Ash questioned, but Kimiko simply ignored her as she continued to stare down—or rather—up at Raimundo.

"Alright alright, I'll talk. I guess it would be good to start from the beginning," Raimundo offered. Despite her previous inquiry, Ash made no objections as Rai began his tale. "It all started when I was meditating on the temple grounds of Master Monk Guan—"

"Wait wait wait. _You_ were meditating by _choice_?" an incredulous Kimiko asked. On cue, the dragons warriors, excluding the one being ridiculed, burst into laughter.

"No need to fancy up the truth with exaggerations," Clay teased. "It's alright to admit that you were sleepin'."

Omi paused in laughter. "I was unaware you can decorate facts," he wondered.

"Yeah yeah, big shocker," Rai commented. "Look, do you want me to share my quest or not?"

Everyone tried to contain his or her own lingering snickers, all nodding their heads for Rai to continue.

"As I was saying, I was meditating when I heard some sort of commotion going on in the temple…"

* * *

***Flashback***

Upon hearing the racket, Raimundo immediately jumped into action. Using his ears for guidance, he followed the sounds of battle cries, running as fast as he possibly could.

_Oh man, I hope I'm not too late_. Raimundo worried.

He eventually caught up to the noise, his destination being a library full of ancient texts and scrolls—or at least what was left of it. The room was in utmost shambles. Shelves were knocked over in every corner. Books upon open books littered what should have been the floor. Hundreds of pieces of text pages were still floating in the air, gently making their way towards the ground. And in the center of the mess was Master Monk Guan along with two other monks, both of whom held strong grasps on the arms of a new face.

"Let. Me. Go!" the girl currently subdued cried out.

"Not until you return the scroll in your hands," Master Monk Guan replied patiently.

"Not a chance," the girl retorted. "I _need_ this." Her grip tightened around the scroll.

Master Monk Guan furrowed his eyebrows together, but nevertheless remained calm. "And why is that?"

"Not telling."

Raimundo prematurely chose this time to intervene. "What is going on here?! Who are you?! Why does this room look like its been raided by a horde of goo zombies?!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up with the yabberin'." The female attempted to cover her ears to show he was talking way too much to her liking.

"Raimundo," Master Monk Guan addressed the confused boy. "As it appears, we have an intruder in our midst. As to what has happened, she had attempted to steal one of our ancient scrolls."

"And _will_ steal," the girl spat out.

_Wow, this girl has a lot of nerve considering she's currently got the short end of the stick_. Rai noted, as the female thief continued to struggle in the grasps of the monks.

Turning his attention towards the teenage girl once more, Master Monk Guan continued. "As I was saying, why have you come for the scroll?" he questioned, although he held no contempt in his voice.

The only response Master Monk Guan received was silence.

He let out a tired sigh. "Very well. We will have to keep you here under surveillance until you are ready to give up on your quest for the scroll," Master Monk Guan decided, knowing full well that if he were to simply let her go, she will attempt to go after the scroll again and again until she has obtained her prize.

The girl could no longer keep silent. "What?! Like hold me captive? You can't do that!" she complained.

"Not unless you leave willingly, empty-handed," Master Monk Guan replied.

"Not a chance," The girl retorted.

_Sheesh, this girl doesn't know when to quit. I'd hate to have to go head-to-head with her on anything_. Raimundo thought to himself.

"Then you leave me no choice but to have you stay here until that time comes," Master Monk Guan stated. "You are still young and have yet to learn the consequences of committing misdeeds. Thus, for the duration of your time here, you will participate in simple chores to learn of _responsibility_." He then smiled in thought. "And to ensure you do not attempt escape, _Raimundo_ here will watch over you."

Rai's ears perked at the mention of his name. "Say what?" Rai asked, wondering if he heard the elder monk correctly. Seeing Master Monk Guan's expectant face, Raimundo suspected he heard him perfectly fine. "Geez, as much as I'd love to help, I'm busy with something else. Oh, I don't know, the whole Shoku Warrior quest thing going on?"

"But of course." Master Monk Guan smiled. "I only ask for your help until you are able to find a solution to your quest dilemma."

"But- What- Huh?" Rai stammered. He could come up with no excuse. The elder monk simply waited patiently for Raimundo to speak. "Fine," he groaned in response.

"Your services are greatly appreciated," Master Monk Guan encouraged the boy. Now addressing the girl, he continued, "At your stay here, you will not be treated as a prisoner, contrary to your beliefs. At night, you will share a room with Raimundo for your period of rest. **(1) **During the day, you will do exactly what he performs as part of his monk duties so you may learn the art of discipline."

"What? I thought I was just suppose to look after her!" Rai complained. "When did I ever agree to doing chores!"

"When you agreed to become a monk."

Rai groaned. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come to Master Monk Guan for help.

"And _why_ would I even listen to what you're telling me to do?" the girl interjected.

"Because, the earlier you learn how to act responsibly, the earlier you may leave," Master Monk Guan simply stated.

Pausing in thought, Ash finally responded. "Fine."

* * *

**(the following day...)**

The two teenagers sat in complete silence; one was forced into washing the dishes while the other let out a yawn.

"Aren't you suppose to help out or something?" the girl questioned Raimundo, who was lazily leaning against the wall.

"Not my style," Rai answered back.

"Are you sure you're a monk?" the girl was more than skeptical now.

"One-hundred percent," Rai yawned out.

The self-proclaimed prisoner said no more as she washed twenty more dishes.

"Sooooo," the girl said, disturbing the quiet atmosphere once more, "Where are you from? Peru?"

"Brazil, actually."

"Long way from home, aren't ya?"

"I could say the same about you."

"How do you know I'm not from around here?"

"The accent kind of gives it away."

"Right."

No one said another word, sparing the room of any noise—and any more awkward small talk—the only sound being that of clattering dishes.

_Uhh! This is so boring! _Rai thought. _What's worse, I still haven't thought of a quest!_

As the female continued to scrub down the plates, Rai decided sit back against the wall, allowing his legs to cross comfortably. His eyes slowly began to drift into blissful sleep. Catching himself before he could nod off completely, Rai immediately sat up straight, frantically trying to refocus his eyes on what is his given responsibility, only to feel a rush of relief at seeing the girl standing in the same spot as before, continuing her task. Satisfied at the sight, Rai let his muscles relax as he allowed his eyes to close once more.

* * *

_ Ha! That was too easy!_ The teenage girl thought to herself as she ran quickly down the hallway. Take a left, a right, make another right, a left aaaaaaand BINGO!

Just around the corner was the entrance to the same room she had previously attempted to steal from as before; however, the library was returned to its previous state of order. Books, scrolls and parchments were placed in their respective spots on the shelves, making it easier on the girl in her search.

_C'mon, c'mon, where is it?_ The girl shuffled through various books and scrolls, but could not find _that_ scroll.

"Ahem."

Startled, the thief immediately dropped several scrolls that were held in her arms and spun around to face her newfound company. She was more than surprised to see the boy—Raimundo was it?—whom she thought was asleep in the kitchen.

"You know, if you tried stealing something once, you would think we would hide it the second time around," Raimundo spoke in amusement.

"How did you catch up so fast?" the girl demanded to know.

"I never caught your name," Raimundo interrupted, completely ignoring the thief's question. "It's kind of hard to call you out when I have no name to go by, unless you want me to forever address you with a ninja call of silence."

She contemplated on whether she should answer him or not. "It's Ash, short for Ashleigh," she finally responded. "And you still haven't answered my question, Brazil."

"My name is Raimundo," he clarified.

"That's a funny name, I think I'll just stick with 'Brazil'." Ashleigh grinned mischievously. **(2)**

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Are you always this ignorant?"

"What?! How am I ignorant?" Rai questioned irately.

"You just proved my point," Ash stated smugly.

"And you just proved mine," Raimundo growled. Ashleigh only glared in response.

* * *

After having caught Ashleigh red-handed, Raimundo had her—err—_them _move onto scrubbing the floors.

_I don't think I can handle much of this girl anymore_. Rai thought tiredly. _She acts way too immature for her age_. Rai was unaware that the same applies to him as well.

Just then, an idea struck Raimundo.

_If I can turn a troublemaking rebel like her into an upstanding monk, that's got to score me some major plus points in this whole Shoku warrior competition._

As Rai contemplated over the idea, Master Monk Guan entered the room.

"Hello Raimundo, Ashleigh," he addressed Ash, having earlier heard her real name from Raimundo. "I was just checking up on you two to see how you both were doing."

"Just. Great," Ash stated with much annoyance, still bitter about failing to retrieve the scroll. **Again**.

"Hey, Guan-meister! Just the man I wanted to see!" Rai enthusiastically greeted. Master Monk Guan smiled in return, knowing that his upbeat attitude meant he had an idea. "I think I've finally decided what I wanted to do for my final quest!"

"And what might that be?" the elder monk asked, not at all surprised that the younger monk managed to think of his own solution.

Not wanting Ash to hear what he had to say _just_ yet, Rai went up to Master Monk Guan and whispered into the man's ear. Ashleigh looked at them with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, slowly inching closer and closer towards the two in attempt to hear in on their conversation, to no avail. By the time Rai finished his last sentence, a small smile made its way onto the elder monk's face.

"I think that is an excellent idea, Raimundo," Master Monk Guan stated approvingly. "You have my permission to offer the proposal."

"Really?" Rai asked, genuinely surprised that the highly esteemed monk had agreed with his plan a second time around. "Great!" **(3)**

"Okay, _what_ is going on? What proposal?" Ash demanded answers. Even if she was technically their enemy, she didn't like being excluded from the knowing.

"The offer is this," Rai finally answered the flustered girl. "You can continue doing all these boring chores until the day you're released _or_ you can become an official student at this temple. Of course, you'll have to give up trying to steal that scroll," he added.

"Who wants to be a monk and do even more chores all day?" Ash said more as a sarcastic comment that an actual question.

"That's not the only thing we monks do. We save the world from dark forces on a daily basis. Martial arts _is_ one of our specialties. Did you not experience, firsthand, Master Monk Guan kicking your sorry butt?"

Ash furrowed her eyebrows in thought. Her supposed enemies treating her as one of their own, free of charge? This was too good to be true. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Rai stated. "Oh, unless you consider me being your teacher for a week to be the catch." He smirked as Ash's face twisted with abhorrence.

Ashleigh scoffed at the notion. "Like I'll accept some young, immature bloke as my teacher. You've got to be—what—one-two years younger than me? I bet you can't even fight."

"Wanna bet?" Raimundo countered, flashing her a cocky smile.

"Is that a challenge, Brazil?" Ash asked, amused by Rai's confidence.

"You and me, one-on-one. If I win, you'll become my temporary student."

"And if _I_ win?"

"I highly doubt it." Ash glared at Raimundo. There was a limit to how much arrogance she could tolerate. "_But_, if you manage to win, I'll smooth talk the elder monks into letting you off the hook." An 'ahem' from the elder monk present caused Raimundo to chuckle sheepishly.

"Alright, you're on." Ash smirked. "First to hit the ground, loses."

"Fine by me. While we're at it, why don't we take this match outside," Rai suggested.

"Even better." Raimundo couldn't help but smile, knowing how big of an advantage that would already give him.

* * *

Outside the temple, the gentle breeze caused by the west wind travelled freely in the air, brushing over the grass and bushes with a soft touch. Raimundo and Ashleigh took their battle stances, awaiting the call to start the match.

"You may begin," announced Master Monk Guan.

"Wind!"

That was the last thing Ash heard before she felt a strong gust of wind push her off balance, and straight towards the ground. She landed with a great **THUD**.

"Ouch." Ash rubbed her sore bottom. "What in the world?" a confused Ash questioned no one in particular.

"Looks like I win," Raimundo smirked, standing over the fallen girl.

"That doesn't count, the wind caught me off balance," Ash countered.

"And _I'm_ the one who called on the wind."

This baffled the girl even more, her confusion evident by the look on her face.

"Raimundo is the chosen Dragon of the Wind. As his title suggests, he has the ability to control the air current however he pleases," Master Monk Guan finally explained. Rai simply smiled at the perplexed girl.

"Get ready to call me 'Master Raimundo'," Rai stated smugly, though he still offered a helping hand to Ashleigh.

Ash simply slapped the hand away in attempt to preserve her dignity. "I still don't think you have much skills, considering all you showed me was a pretty magic trick." Ash paused in thought. "_But_, I guess a deal's a deal. You can teach me whatever you know—if you even know anything—for one week. But after that, I expect _that_ guy to teach me the real deal," Ash stated while pointing at Master Monk Guan. "So, when do we start, Brazil."

Rai twitched at the given title. "Fine, you don't have to address me as 'Master'. Just call me by my given name."

"Not gonna happen, _Brazil_," Ash deliberately added with a smirk. Rai let out a loud groan as he proceeded to slap his face.

_Ai-yai-yai, what did I get myself into?_ Rai questioned himself.

* * *

**(1) No thinking any dirty thoughts, please! I believe Kimiko always shared a room with the other three guys, so I thought it was natural to place Ash in the same room as Raimundo. NO ROMANCE INVOLVED. PERIOD.**

**(2) Just to clarify, I do NOT think Raimundo's name is silly. I actually like it a lot :3 And deep down, I'm pretty sure Ash doesn't think so, either. She just says it is to annoy him.**

**(3) First time when Rai and Master Monk Guan hatched a plan to steal back all the Shen Gong Wu's from Hannibal :D**

**I thought this would be a good place to end, since the next chapter involves a certain Heylin character...**

**Happy chapter, I know. Probably a couple more of those, so that everyone becomes well-acquianted, and then the main plot shall finally unfold! Also, it's going to get darker in later chapters, just as a pre-warning.**

**And for some reason, I can't help but laugh at my own created scene. Anybody else find it funny how Rai ended the match in one second? That's got to be a record.**

**The flashback will continue in the next chapter (how the other monks react to Rai's quest will also be included). I'm actually almost done with writing it, because I ****_was_**** planning on releasing it with this chapter as one chapter.**

**I'm sorry! I didn't mean for the flashback to be so long, but I just kept adding more and more details and eventually, I was coming up with over 28 pages of writing (and still counting) O_O And I think I made Ashleigh more involved than I intended to...sorry 'bout that! I didn't know how else to write about her and Rai's relationship (and don't worry, this is NOT an OCxRai pairing), because I don't want it to seem so weak to the point that you're thinking "why is she even PART of this story?", but now I worry you may be thinking "why IS she the story?"**

**Expect the next chapter soon!**

**Edit: Sorry, I lie. Next chapter might take a while to get up. I'm trying to work on the quality, but that might take a while. Sorry again!**

* * *

**A thanks to Opal of Peace, my first 'story' follower!**

**And to kirkanalo, as well, my first 'author' follower!**

**Seriously, I appreciate it!**

* * *

** kirkanalo: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far! I hope I _can_ keep it up, maybe do even better :D**


	3. The Forgotten Past (Part II)

**Ended summer school…only to start fall semester. Ha.**

**Sorry for the late post. With school and church retreat and catching up with friends, I've been a bit busy. My schedule should clear up now :D**

**Soooo, I watched Xiaolin Chronicles. I'm not sure what to think of it just yet. A lot of continuity errors, but that's most likely because a lot of rights were in play (and I think I can incorporate it into my story to make the 3rd and 4th seasons connect with one another). There were parts that I liked, and other parts I didn't like, but I'll continue watching it to see if it improves.**

**Something that made me laugh in episode two: Why did Chase dump his hair in the water then do a dramatic hair flip? I literally LOL'd.**

**And did Master Fung just ditch everyone? HA!**

**Anyways, for those of you who have seen the new XC episodes, what did you think?**

**One last thing! Thanks to one of my friends for checking over this chapter, at least in its early stages. She didn't get to read the final result, so there may be some problems :X Oh well, enjoy!**

* * *

***Flashback continued…***

**(Day 1)**

"First lesson: respect for authority."

"If this is some sort of ploy to get me to respect you more, then forget it."

"Kidding," Raimundo quickly responded, even though he was somewhat serious. "How about we work on basic punches and kicks?"

"Learned it."

"Okay then, blocking techniques."

"Know it."

"How about meditation?" Rai was not too fond of this exercise, but he was running out of suggestions.

"Look, can you do us all a favor and just call it a week?" Ash cut in. "I already know the basics to fighting and more."

Rai let out a groan of frustration—for the hundredth time. This girl sure knows how to get on his nerves. He was starting to consider using the Golden Tiger Claws—which he had previously forgotten was packed in his knapsack—and just dump her on an island for a day or two, but he _did _accept responsibility over her, so that would probably lower his chances of becoming the leader.

Or maybe he _could_ do just that. "Alright, so you know how to fight. How about we do some practice fights with Shen Gong Wu's."

"The Shen Gong what now?"

"The Shen Gong Wu's. They're basically ancient artifacts with magical abilities."

Ash, who was previously lying lazily against a tree, peaked an eye open in interest. "I'm listening."

"We each take turns attacking while using a Shen Gong Wu, while the other defends against the attacks. You can think of this as a lesson in learning to anticipate and counter an attack."

"I'm game." Ash immediately jumped from her sitting spot, relieved from her boredom at the idea. "I guess you _can_ know what you're doing sometimes," Ash added teasingly.

_I have no idea what I'm doing_. Raimundo thought as he slipped on the Golden Tiger Claws. _But this outta be fun._ He smirked at the thought.

"This is the only Shen Gong Wu I have on me, so we'll have to make do."

"What does it do?"

"Oh, you'll see." Raimundo grinned deviously. "I mean—try to figure it out…you know, as part of your training." Ash gave him a skeptical look. "Don't worry, I promise it's harmless."

Ash was still unconvinced but decided to go along with it. "Alright then, when do we begin?"

"Now," Rai answered. "Golden Tiger Claws!" Rai shouted as he simultaneously ripped a hole in the air and disappeared within the rift.

Ash was left in complete solitude. She looked around, but saw no hint of the Brazilian monk. "Well, I'm guessing this Shen Gong Wu has something to do with invisibili—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Ash felt a kick against her backside, causing her to stumble forward…and right into a freshly made warp-hole.

"WhOaOaOaOa." Ash was feeling queasy from the lack of ground beneath her feet as she traveled through the makeshift portal.

Finally landing painfully on the dry grounds of an unknown location, Ash took in the sight of her new surroundings—while coughing out the dirt collected in her mouth—only to be greeted by the sight of cactus…cactus…and even more cactus!

She was stranded in the middle of a desert, and there was _still_ no sign of Raimundo.

Realizing the Shen Gong Wu's true powers, Ash was more than unhappy with how Rai used it against her. "Did you just _ditch_ me?!" Ash screamed into the sky. "That's what I've been wanting to do first!"

As Ash continued fuming in the heat of the desert, she failed to notice a portal opening right below her feet, causing her to fall back into the gravity-void vortex with a loud yelp.

This time, Ash was dumped from the sky, causing her to roughly land—head first—into a familiar sward of grass.

Ash looked up, dirt and grass collected in her mouth. "Mrgh mra mgh?"

Rai was simply standing before the other teen, laughing uncontrollably. "You're going to have to speak up, Ashleigh. I didn't quite get that," Rai stated in between contained chuckles.

Spitting out what she managed to catch in her mouth, Ash repeated, "_What_ was _that_?"

"A little something I like to call payback," Rai sneered in satisfaction.

"No, I meant the Shen Gong Wu," Ash said with much intrigue.

"Couldn't you have figured it out by what just happened? It allows the user to instantly travel from one place to another," Rai explained offhandedly.

"Just making sure…so _I_ can utilize it to the _best_ of its abilities," Ash stated as she grinned mischievously. Raimundo didn't like the look on her face. "My turn."

Ash reached out for the Shen Gong Wu on Rai's hand, but Rai held the Golden Tiger Claws out of her reach. "Umm, I think that's enough lessons for today."

"What lesson? All you did was knock me on the ground; _twice_, might I add." Ash held up two fingers for emphasis.

"And you failed to anticipate, so you lost your privilege to get a turn." Raimundo knew his excuses weren't gonna cut it, but he did _not_ want to be on the receiving end of Ashleigh's wrath.

"Alright, if that's how you want to play it," Ash murmured to herself as she narrowed her eyes at Raimundo. Turning around, Ash started stomping dramatically towards the temple in 'anger'. Rai let out sigh of relief.

Catching Raimundo off guard, Ash did a quick back kick, knocking the Golden Tiger Claws out of Rai's right hand and into the air. That one-second when Rai looked up at the lost Shen Gong Wu was all the distraction Ash needed to spin around and land a round kick against Raimundo's body, pushing him back some yards away. As the Golden Tiger Claws began making its descent, Ash took the opportunity to make a quick jump for the Wu, sliding it easily over her hand midair. Landing on the ground, Ash admired the handiwork of the artifact.

"How does this work again?" Ash muttered to herself, lightly tapping the claws against her chin in thought. Raimundo, who immediately recovered from the surprise attack, frantically made a dash towards the girl. "Oh yeah!" Ash exclaimed with a snap of her fingers. "Golden Tiger Claws!"

With that loud declaration, Ash slashed the air and disappeared from sight.

_Uh oh_.

Rai didn't have time to panic as he was suddenly struck in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Before he could touch the ground, a kick to his arm sent him in a new direction.

"_Oomph_! Ow! Easy on the kicks!" Rai grunted in between kicks and punches as he was continuously tossed back and forth.

_Okay, time to learn from my own lesson_.

Rai called forth the wind, slowing down his path of flight. His feet finally touched the ground as he slid across the grass, creating two fresh ditches of dirt until he came to a complete stop.

Taking in deep breaths, Raimundo stood on his feet one-shoulder length apart and let his arms relax against his sides. He closed his eyes in concentration, waiting for the precise moment when Ash's chi would reappear.

Feeling her chi suddenly emerge from behind him, Rai dodged to the side and grabbed the incoming fist that was aimed for his head.

"What?" Ash was surprised that she was actually caught, as Raimundo proceeded to flip her over.

"I'll take that," Raimundo stated as he took the Shen Gong Wu off of Ash's hand, who was lying on her back, still recovering from the counterattack.

"Soooo, any chance we can call it a day?" Ash asked sheepishly.

"Not even close." Raimundo smirked. "Golden Tiger Claws!"

Ash didn't wait for her teacher to reappear. She immediately made a run for it towards the temple, not that it would help much. There were so many things he could do to her: Return just as much punches and kicks, drop her in the middle of the ocean, even worse, drop her off back in Australia, or—

A cold, wet ball made harsh impact against her face, causing Ash to fall onto the floor. Wiping melting snow off of her face, Ash realized just what was thrown at her.

"There's more where that came from," Raimundo's voice stated from behind.

As Ash turned around, another snowball hit her right in the forehead.

"Really? A _snowball_?" Ash scoffed, baffled at Rai's choice of attack.

"Well, I did drop you off in the desert earlier, so I thought you could use something to help you cool off." Rai smirked, throwing another snowball towards Ash.

Ash, who was still stumped at the whole situation, didn't even bother dodging the incoming projectile. Hit yet again, Ash fell on her bottom and just sat there, showing no signs of anger, annoyance, or any emotion whatsoever.

"Umm, Ash? You alright there?" Rai was worried that he may have hit her head too hard.

Ashleigh suddenly burst out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Okay. Now Raimundo _really_ worried that he threw three balls too many.

"A snowball? A _snowball_?! That's the best you can come up with?!" Ash continued laughing.

"Hey! I thought that was better than slamming my fist against your face, although the idea was very tempting," Raimundo remarked.

"Oh, dream on, Brazil. You wouldn't dare touch my face," Ash retorted.

"I just hit you with three snowballs. In. Your. _Face_."

"You caught me off guard. Thrice," Ash commented. "Enough with the Golden Tiger Claws attacks. Let's have a good ol' fashion battle to make things fair. And none of your pestering wind abilities, either. If you win, I'll acknowledge your fighting capabilities and let you teach me whatever you want for the rest of the week."

"Umm, wasn't that already part of our first deal that I already _won_?"

"I'll be willing to learn from you the second time around. No objections to your decisions, guarantee."

Raimundo rubbed his chin in thought. "Alright, but let's take this battle somewhere else." Rai smirked. "Golden Tiger Claws!"

* * *

Master Monk Guan, who was observing the 'training' from afar, rubbed his temple as he let out a tired sigh.

He had the utmost confidence in Raimundo's teaching abilities, but sometimes…Raimundo showed obvious reasons why he still had much to learn.

* * *

**(Day 2)**

Raimundo actually thought beforehand on what he should have Ash do for today. She was currently maintaining her balance on top of wooden posts, which moved vertically at random, all the while remaining in a calm state. This was a training exercise he learned as a way for one to achieve perfect balance, both physically and mentally, and he thought Ash could definitely use gaining some peace in the mind to lessen her usual amount of sass. Rai joined in on the exercise, but being well adjusted to this kind of training, he was hopping from post to post with ease.

"I have to admit, you're a lot tougher than I thought. I've got bruises from the single ambush yesterday," Raimundo told Ash as she stood on one foot atop of a post. "Your punches could almost be on par with Kimiko's."

"Kimiko?"

"Just a friend and fellow dragon warrior in training. She's got one heck of a fiery temper, but other than that, she's pretty cool."

"I see," Ash replied. "You're not bad yourself. Despite your small physique, you actually have some fighting skills."

"Hey! I'm not small!" Rai countered. "You're just abnormally tall for a girl."

"Keep making excuses, Brazil, if that'll make you feel any better about the truth," Ash teased.

Rai simply rolled his eyes. "Jokes aside, I think you would've made a great ally if you became a monk first instead of a thief. Why were you after the scroll anyways?"

Ash immediately lost her footing and fell with a loud **THUD** on the dirt below.

"Ashleigh?" Rai jumped off his respective wooden pole and landed next to the fallen girl.

"I'm fine," Ash muttered. "Look, I'm through with that scroll, so let's just leave it at that, alright?" Ash curtly responded.

"Okay okay, no need to get your knickers in a knot," Rai stated.

Ash sighed. "Sorry," she apologized, "I just want to leave all the bad things I've done in the past—well—in the past."

"I get what you mean," Rai empathized.

"Do you really?" Ash questioned. She highly doubted the chosen Dragon of the Wind could have acted out of his heroic duties. "What, did you fill all the baths with soap bubbles?" Ash mocked.

Rai chuckled. "Actually, it was the river and pond." Ash lifted her eyebrows in incredulity. "But that's not what I regret," Rai immediately clarified. "Long story short, I once joined the Heylin side, only to realize that it was a mistake not a moment too soon," Rai stated solemnly, recalling his most regretful moment when he almost caused the destruction of the world, let alone his friends.

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. She was not expecting that response.

"I get it, Brazil." Ash replied softly. She, for once, did not use his name in a derisive manner. "No need to expand on that."

* * *

** (Present Time)**

As Raimundo continued talking, Ash started drifting into her own thoughts. She was remembering a specific memory from that very night, something she has yet to share with Brazil.

* * *

***Ash's flashback* **

"G'night, Brazil. Good lesson today," Ash told her temporary mentor.

"You're not being sarcastic, are you?" Raimundo looked at her skeptically.

"Geez, I'm not always a rude sheila. I can be nice when I want to," Ash stated defensively.

"Sorry, just making sure." Rai chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks, then."

"You are welcome." Ash smiled.

The two headed towards their respective beds. All candles that once illuminated the room were blown out, leaving the monks in complete darkness. Both snuggled under their blankets as they welcomed the much-needed sleep…or so it appeared.

Once the soft snores of slumber were heard from Raimundo's cot, Ash suddenly opened her eyes, showing no signs of drowsiness. Sliding out of her sheets without so much as making a single sound, the former thief swiftly and quietly headed towards the outdoors.

Leaving the temple grounds, Ash made her way towards the bottom of the mountain. Spotting a specific, crooked-shaped tree, she climbed her way to the highest branch, and in that branch, a certain but expected figure was already waiting for her.

"Ashleigh," a dark, menacing voice crept through the shadows.

"Hannibal Roy Bean," Ash replied emotionlessly.

Revealing himself from within the shadows, Hannibal made his appearance to the girl. "I expected you to retrieve the scroll two days ago, and here you are playing monk. Did you forget our deal?" Hannibal narrowed his eyes menacingly.

"I have not forgotten. I was only waiting for the right time to—"

"Don't play me for a fool," Hannibal interrupted. "I've been watching you from the start. You thought you could ignore me and pretend to live a life as a good-mannered monk? Well you thought _wrong_." A shiver ran up Ash's spine, her entire body sensing how great of a threat the small bean before her really was.

"Isn't there anything else I can do in return?" Ash bargained, keeping up her calm appearance.

"You're not growing soft because of the boy, are you?"

Ash made no immediate reply.

"You do realize that he's only _using_ you for his own personal gain. You're his ticket to being promoted to a Shoku warrior. It sounds like you're placing a lot of trust in him."

"I'm well aware he wasn't teaching me for my benefit," Ash replied, showing no care towards Hannibal's jab. "And I _don't_ trust him. I am simply using him for my own personal gain like he is using me for his."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're suppose to get that scroll for me in return for that ring you're currently wearing. Unless, you want to go back on our deal. Then you can kiss that ring goodbye," Hannibal threatened.

Ash stood in silence, debating on what she should do.

"All right, I'll get that scroll for ya, but that'll mark the end of our partnership."

"Excellent." Hannibal rubbed his tentacles in delight.

* * *

** (Present Day)**

Ash would still prefer to keep her little deal with Hannibal a secret. There was no need to mention anything that has already passed. Shaking out of her thoughts, she tuned in on Raimundo once more.

* * *

***Flashback***

**(Day 3: the next morning)**

"You're up early," Rai yawned out.

"No, you're just late," Ash replied. "Sheesh, you're not even close to being an exemplary monk. How did you become a chosen one, again?"

Rai shrugged. "Sometimes, I wonder that myself," Rai thought aloud, fondly reminiscing all the times he pulled a prank on his fellow monks or skipped out on his chores and duties.

"So, what were you doing up late last night?" Rai added nonchalantly as he took a sip of his water. Ash proceeded to spit out what she managed to drink.

"You were awake?"

"I wasn't at first, but then I felt the your chi slowly drifting away in my sleep," Rai explained, calmly taking another sip of his water. Firmly placing the cup on the table, Rai faced Ash. "So, what were you doing? I eventually lost touch of your chi altogether, as if you were out of range."

"Uh—I—uh—I was just going out for a late night walk. Yeah! That's what I was doing! Just love that fresh mountain air." Ash was smiling enthusiastically, but was biting the inside of her cheek simultaneously. She was usually a good liar. What was wrong with her? **(1)**

"Mhmm," Rai replied, unconvinced, but didn't push it any further.

"So! What are we going to do today?" Ash asked in attempt to direct the attention away from their current topic.

Raimundo sensed that Ash was definitely hiding something; her shifty attitude made her look even more so suspicious. She didn't even mock him with her usual 'Brazil' comment, not that Rai was complaining. Still, something was definitely wrong.

Deciding to save that thought for another time, Rai responded, "Well, here's what I was thinking…"

* * *

**(during dinner time)**

"Hey, Rai?" Ash called on his name as she placed her chopsticks on the table.

"Yeah?" Raimundo replied idly, helping himself to another bowl of rice.

"Do you trust me?"

Rai was caught off guard by the unexpected question. "Where is this coming from?"

"Nowhere in particular," Ash quickly replied. "Just something I was wondering."

"Do you trust me?" Raimundo threw her own question back.

"What? Wait, answer my question first!"

"Just answer me."

"I—I guess?" Ash said with uncertainty, wondering if what Hannibal had claimed about her was true. Did she really trust him?

"You trust me, I trust you. Wasn't it obvious when I let you handle the Golden Tiger Claws?"

"I had to pry it out of your hands," Ash said with a roll of her eyes. "Wait, you actually trust me?" Ash was taken aback by how easily Raimundo said it. "Even after I tried to steal from you?"

"Technically, that scroll doesn't belong to me," Rai stated. "And plus, isn't it natural to trust your friends?"

"Friends?" Ash questioned more to herself than at Raimundo.

"Yeah. 'Friends'. Ever heard of that word?" Rai joked.

"Of course!" Ash blurted out, embarrassed to think that Rai would think she is _that_ clueless. "It's just that I prefer to use the term 'associate', or 'partner' at best," Ash explained. "And they are _not_ to be trusted under any circumstances."

"You know, I was kidding about the whole 'knowing what friends are', but you seem to be off the deep end of the truth."

"To me, the _truth_ is that 'friends' are people you are acquainted with whom you learn of their greatest abilities and deadliest of weaknesses, to which you can use to your advantage."

"Umm, I think you and I are thinking of two different terms."

"I figured," Ash shrugged.

"Do you treat all your 'friends' like this?"

"Naturally," Ash stated, unaffected by her own words. Raimundo, on the other hand, found her words piercing. It worried him that this was how she viewed friendship.

"Well, to me, friends are people who you enjoy spending time with. They're people you care about, people you can _trust_ to have your back." Raimundo smirked at a thought. "Don't tell me you didn't have fun pushing me around the other day."

"I was merely exacting revenge on you for tricking me, like you did to me for being—what's the word again?—'annoying'," Ash air-quoted.

Raimundo crossed his arms. "You were laughing as I threw snowballs at you."

Ash didn't give an answer back immediately. She had no other explanation for her laughing hysteria. "Hmm…despite being on the receiving ends of the 'attack', I guess that _was_ pretty fun," Ash stated, as she fondly reminisced. It felt good to laugh in a lighthearted manner for once.

"See. You enjoyed spending time with me _and_ you said you trust me. I can't really tell if you care about my well-being, considering you batted me around, but two out of three ain't bad," Rai surmised. "So…" He stuck out a hand towards Ash. "Consider me your first official friend," Rai stated. "And if you want, you should come visit me back at my home temple. I have a few friends there that I think you should meet."

At first, Ash only stared at Rai's outstretched hand, unsure of how to respond. Only when she decided that his version of a 'friend' didn't sound too bad did she offer her own hand to shake on it. "Alright, Brazil. I'll go along with this whole 'friends' deal." She smirked at a new thought. Time to use a weakness to her advantage. "Then as a symbol of your trust, why don't you tell me where the scroll is located," Ash suggested.

"What?" Rai was genuinely confused.

"You heard me. I'm curious as to where you hid that scroll. It's not like I'm going to steal it. Or do you not _trust_ me, Brazil?" Ash teased.

Raimundo rubbed his chin in thought, looking over at his new friend with skepticism. "Okay, but in return, you'll have to read a book of my choosing."

Well, that's a weird proposal. "As part of my training?" Ash asked.

"Something like that," Rai said with a smirk.

* * *

Ashleigh made haste towards where Rai claimed the scroll was now located while reading the book that Raimundo had promised her.

On the front of the book were the words _Guide to Making Friends for the IGNORANT_. Ash wasn't sure if Raimundo was genuinely trying to help her or was playing a cruel joke of irony, but she was nonetheless captivated by the book's contents. It had many definitions of what a 'friend' should be and gave hundreds upon thousands of tips on how to be a proper friend.

"When meeting a new friend for the first time, he or she is more likely to respond positively if you show an upbeat, kindhearted and happy attitude," Ashleigh read aloud. Huh. The people she usually deals with respond positively when she acts the _opposite_ of what the book claimed. But then again, those people are merely 'acquaintances'. She remembered mocking Rai in their first encounter—which is basically how she treats most people she deems useless—and seeing his face full of annoyance. Looks like she'll have to change things up a bit.

Completely engrossed in the guide, Ashleigh failed to pay attention to her surroundings, causing her to slam right into a monk passing by.

"Oh, sorry," Ash muttered, rubbing her stinging nose. "Didn't see you there."

"Hello, Ashleigh," Master Monk Guan greeted with his usual, friendly smile. "Going somewhere?"

"Just taking a stroll while reading a book," Ash responded, holding up the book to prove it. Technically, it was half true.

Master Monk Guan took a look at the title and raised a brow in question. Raimundo must have set this up. "Ah, I see," he responded. Although he was aware that Ash wasn't speaking the full truth, he made no effort to pry any further. "Then if you are not in need of any assistance, I shall leave you to your book."

As the two were prepared to continue towards their respective destinations, Ash stopped in her tracks. There was something that's been nagging in the back of her mind for a while now, and maybe Master Monk Guan was just the man to provide the answers.

Without thinking, Ash blurted out, "He said he trusted me."

The elder monk understood exactly what was bothering Ash. He turned around and answered, "As does everyone else at the temple."

"Why do you guys treat me so kindly? How can you all trust me so easily?!" Ash exclaimed. "How can you trust an _enemy_? My _family_ doesn't even trust me." She was truly baffled at how easily everyone at the temple seemed to throw his or her trust around.

Master Monk Guan frowned at the thought of family members not being able to trust one another, but made no comment on that matter. "You have ceased to be an enemy the moment you agreed to become our fellow monk," Master Monk Guan explained. "It's just as Raimundo had once spoken to me…"

* * *

****Flashback within a Flashback****

_Standing on the tip of his toes to lean into Master Monk Guan's ear, Rai whispered, "I've been thinking, I don't think Ashleigh will conform under forced responsibilities—with her being super stubborn—but what if she were to become one of the monks of this temple? I could help train her—you know, as part of my final quest—so she can learn how to work on the side of the heroes. Look, I know she tried to steal from you guys and all, but my tiger instincts are telling me she's not really all that bad. Annoying: yes. But not outright evil. She just needs someone to guide her towards the right path. So, what do you say?"_

****End of Flashception****

* * *

_Annoying?!_ Ash thought, flustered at the rude comment. Even though Raimundo has stated it straight up to her face, she still doesn't like being labeled as such.

Still, she couldn't believe how much Raimundo truly believed in her. She was led to believe that all she was to him was a dumped package of unwanted responsibility, with him stating his annoyance with her and such. This feeling of trust was…nice.

"I see you have yet to believe that our trust in you is genuine," Master Monk Guan interrupted her thoughts.

"No, no, I've heard enough," Ash responded quickly. "Also," she added, "thanks for trusting me. The feeling's mutual." Ashleigh smiled softly before bowing in respect towards the elder monk.

Initially, he was taken aback by Ash's sudden change in demeanor. This must have been the first time Ash has shown any kind of respect towards a person of the temple, but Master Monk Guan wasn't all that surprised that she was finally turning around. It was just as Raimundo had predicted. He smiled as he placed a caring hand on her shoulder.

He bade her a good night and finally left her presence.

Ashleigh simply stood in place, contemplating on whether she should really breach their trust or follow through with it.

* * *

Arriving at her destination, Ash found yet another library, albeit a smaller one than the previous. She easily found the scroll she's been looking for, which was conveniently sitting on top of the only desk present.

_So Brazil really did tell me the true location of this scroll_. Ashleigh thought to herself.

* * *

**(that night)**

"I got you the scroll like you asked," Ashleigh stated, holding the scroll up high for the bean to see.

"It's about time," Hannibal stated rather impatiently. "Now give it," Hannibal demanded.

"What do you want with this piece of junk anyways?" Ash asked, ignoring Hannibal's awaiting outstretched tentacle. Ash only brought it closer to her inspecting eyes and purposely further out of his reach, not that it took too much effort to do so.

"I'm gonna burn it," Hannibal simply replied.

"You had me steal this thing, just so you can destroy it? Why didn't you just tell me to burn it myself?" Ash rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"I have my reasons," Hannibal claimed. "Now hand it over."

"Hmm…how about no."

On signal, monks revealed themselves from various hiding spots within the trees and rocks, including Raimundo and Master Monk Guan.

"What is the meaning of this, Ashleigh?"

"It means," Rai started, "You've been cheated. _Again_." He added with a smirk.

Hannibal glared menacingly. "When did you plan all this?" he growled at the boy.

"When I informed them just a few hours earlier," Ash replied in place of Rai. "You were right, I _do _trust them, and I certainly don' t trust you." Ash narrowed her eyes at the talking bean. "What's your game, Hannibal? You sent me to retrieve the scroll—which I could have easily grabbed—but you deliberately tipped them off by letting them sense your Heylin aura, which also allowed them to find me."

"Minor mistake," Hannibal shrugged.

Master Monk Guan chose this moment to step up to the bean. "Hannibal Roy Bean, for committing great acts of evil, you shall be imprisoned once more in the Yin-Yang world," Master Monk Guan stated as he took out the Yin and Yang Yo-yo's.

"Surprised? They're courtesy of moi," Raimundo stated proudly. He was extremely grateful for the Golden Tiger Claws, which he used for his fast trip to the Shen Gong Wu vault and back.

"Not really." Hannibal then glared at the elder monk. "I guess it's time to make my tactical retreat. Ying-Ying Bird!"

Hearing his master's call, the Ying-Ying Bird swooped down from his hiding spot and went flying towards Hannibal.

Raimundo was the first to jump at Hannibal, who simply rolled out of the way. Every monk present followed suit and attempted to grab a hold of the evil bean, but his small size let him easily evade all hands and attacks.

Master Monk Guan took out his Spear of Guan (#87) and swung at the incoming bird, who lost a few feathers in the process despite dodging the attack. The bird flew high towards the sky then dove down at a blinding speed to the ground once more, allowing its sharp talons to scratch those who didn't duck in time. After another swipe from the Spear of Guan caused the bird to lose more than a few more feathers as he roughly hit a large boulder, he seemed to immediately give up as he flew away.

It was only when he saw all the monks frantically searching the area did Master Monk Guan realize the bird distracted them long enough for Hannibal to make his escape.

"Well, at least we still have the scroll?" Ash tried to add optimistically as she handed the scroll back to Master Monk Guan.

"Thanks to you two." Master Monk Guan smiled at the Ashleigh and Raimundo. However, as he turned towards the direction where he last felt Hannibal's chi, a wary look replaced his smile.

* * *

"Look Ashleigh, I haven't exactly been fair to you," Raimundo stated.

"What do you mean?" Ash wondered what he was talking about, believing Rai has given her more than she deserved.

"You said you trusted me, and you even told me the truth about Hannibal, not to mention helped us foil his plans," Rai began, "so you deserve the truth, and the truth is: I may have used you to further my own goals," Rai stated somewhat regrettingly.

"Oh, that?" Ash scoffed. "I already knew about that a while ago."

Rai, who was ready to apologize, was taken aback. "Umm, you did?"

Ash smirked. "Hannibal told me, not that I didn't have my own suspicions. No need to feel guilty or anything; I was actually using you too, to some extent. So I guess you can say we're even."

"How did Hannibal know—wait, what? You've been using me too?!" Rai stated in an accusatory tone. "For what?"

"That's a story for another day," Ash stated cryptically, adding in a teasing smile. "And why the surprise? You should've expected that from a former enemy, let alone me."

Rai continued to glower at Ash, but then immediately relaxed. "Fair enough." Raimundo shrugged. "So now you know why I've been so desperate to teach you instead of let Master Monk Guan do the job. This time, I'll be fair. You can continue training under me for the week, or you can train with Master Monk Guan."

Ash did not expect Rai to give her a choice, so she was more than surprised. But then she wondered what that would mean for him. "Then what about your whole Shoku-dragon-thingamabob? Isn't this your chance at winning the competition?"

"Yeah, but it's not worth forcing you to do something you don't want to do. I let this whole competition get to my head that I didn't think about how it affected the people around me. I can always come up with some other quest idea, since I still have a few days left."

"Well, you do stink at teaching," Ash blatantly stated, causing Rai to purse his lips. "_But_, I'm willing to spend the rest of the week under your tutelage, if that means helping out a friend." She smiled as Rai's face brightened.

Rai sighed in relief. "Great!" He slapped Ash's back in gesture of gratitude. "Cause I actually had no other quest idea."

Ash smiled, then scrunched her face as she rubbed her now sore shoulder. "I'm glad I can help you and all, but next time you show thanks, ease up on the pat, will ya?"

***End of Flashback***

* * *

"After Hannibal's disappearance, Master Monk Guan kept the Scroll of the Dragons close by. There was nothing much we could do about the whole Hannibal incident, so I continued training Ash until it was time to return here," Raimundo concluded his story.

Omi felt a bit underwhelmed. Was that all it took to become a leader? Take in an apprentice? It had to be, since Raimundo couldn't have become Shoku warrior after failing to defeat Hannibal, right? Omi was cut off from his thoughts by a sudden outburst.

"I knew it!" Kimiko screamed, pointing a finger at Ash. "You _are_ working for the Heylin side!"

"If you listened to the story properly, that was in the _past_," Ash clarified.

Kimiko sat back down. "And that's all I need to know," she mumbled to herself.

Unlike Kimiko, Clay didn't care about Ashleigh's former allegiance. As long as she was now on the side of good, he could care less about her history. He was rather impressed with how much guts she had. "Well I'll be darned, you sure are one tough lass. Hannibal's not an easy adversary to deceive," Clay stated, tipping his hat in acknowledgement. Ash only blushed at the praise, pleased at the compliment.

"What you did was most rash," Omi lectured. "For my first words of wisdom unto my foolish pupil, I would advise you against committing such reckless acts again. But, I also admit, you have done well for a new monk in training," Omi finished, grinning with satisfaction at what he believed were words of encouragement.

"Umm, thanks, Ankle-biter, I think," Ash replied, not sure if she should feel offended or flattered. She settled for both.

And with the end of the story, the monks dispersed for the night, each having an agenda they wanted to fulfill before going to bed.

* * *

Omi had questions, questions that only Master Fung could answer. Finding Master Fung sitting at a traditional tea-setting table, Omi bowed in respect to his elder.

"Master Fung, I am most confused," Omi began.

"What is on your mind, young one?" Master Fung offered Omi a seat across from him.

Omi accepted the offer. "I have heard the quests which everyone has completed, but I still do not understand how Raimundo was chosen to be the Shoku warrior," Omi answered honestly. "Is it because he has found success in his quest whereas Kimiko, Clay and I have not? And if I were the one who took in a pupil, would I have become leader?"

"It was not the quest choice or success that has proven Raimundo's worthiness as a leader, but rather the journey through it. The central quality of a leader must always begin with humility, young monk."

"But I am the most humble person I know," Omi stated, unaware of the irony in his statement.

Master Fung sighed. "You are still young and have much to learn. One day, you will understand these things, and that will be the day you realize there is more to becoming a Dragon Master than just possessing great skills."

"Please explain, Master Fung."

"That is all I can share with you. Remember, Omi: your best qualities are not always what you believe them to be."

Omi pouted in disappointment at the lack of answers and addition of more questions playing in his mind, but he respected his master's shared wisdom. "I will bear that in mind. I thank you for your guidance, Master Fung." Having nothing more to say, Omi bowed to his elder as he left to return to his room.

* * *

Finding Raimundo lazily lying on top of a temple roof, Ash used various parts of the building as grips and footholds to flip her way up to the boy. She made her own sitting spot next to the Raimundo, who was unfazed at her presence.

"I talk with Clay for only a few minutes and I already find you snoozing somewhere," Ash stated smugly.

Raimundo sat up to face her. "Talking that long can tire anyone out," he defended. "Anyways, what'd you come looking for me for?"

"Don't think I've had the pleasure of congratulating my teacher on his promotion, yet," Ash simply answered. "Soooo…great job, Brazil, I knew you could do it," Ash congratulated Rai sincerely, ruffling his hair in an affectionate manner.

"Thanks," Rai replied, fixing his hair. "And if that book taught you that friends mess up each other's hair, then you can cross that out."

"That's false?"

"As are many other things," Rai mumbled to himself, somewhat regretting giving her that book in the first place in what was suppose to be a simple prank. "I guess I should also be thanking you, to some extent. It couldn't have been possible without your help."

"You _should_ be thanking me." Ash smirked.

"And now I take it back," Rai added resentfully.

"Just pullin' your leg," Ash quickly replied. "And I humbly accept your 'thanks'."

Rai smiled approvingly.

"And while we're at it." Ash smiled softly. "Thanks for trusting me." Rai returned a grin of his own, giving her a 'thumbs-up' as his response.

Rai paused in his kind gesture as he realized at how oversentimental things were getting. "Are we gonna make heartfelt confessions all night or are you finally gonna go back to being annoying, cause this is getting weird."

"Whatever, Brazil." Ash rolled her eyes.

"That's more like it."

* * *

Beneath the very roof that Ashleigh and Raimundo were atop of hid a certain figure within the shadows. Having heard enough, she retreated back into the dark of the night.

* * *

Fuming over what she had just witnessed, Kimiko stomped towards her room.

"She's trying to be all friendly with Raimundo so that he trusts her, but I know she's up to something," Kimiko mumbled to herself.

"Kimiko! Wait up!"

_Great. Speaking of Miss Phony_. Kimiko thought bitterly.

Ash caught up and started walking at the same brisk pace as the other female. "I thought I'd get to know you a little better through some girl to girl talk. What do you say, Kimi?" Ash said a little too enthusiastically for Kimiko's taste.

Kimiko immediately came to a halt, almost causing Ash to slam into her, as she finally faced the tall chick. "I told you, it's Kimiko." Kimiko dryly replied. "And don't try to reel me in with your whole innocence and cheery act. I know you're hiding something." Ash visibly tensed on the spot, which Kimiko took notice of.

"You're still working for Hannibal Roy Bean, aren't you?" Kimiko accused. Ash immediately relaxed, then laughed cynically.

"You think I still work for that talking bean?" Ash asked, a bit offended at the claim.

"You wouldn't be the first visitor to be a traitor," Kimiko simply retorted.

Ash sighed, then spoke in a softer tone, "Look, I know you're not too fond of me—"

Kimiko scoffed. "That's an understatement," she stated under her breath.

Ashleigh frowned slightly. "What did I do to make you hate me? Look, I know you feel threatened by my presence—"

"I _know_ you're trying to get everyone to like you so you can later stab our backs, but I also _know_ better." Kimiko pointed an accusatory finger at Ash. "So I suggest you leave, _now_."

The two girls stood face to face, both seething with anger. Ash finally dropped her tough facade and turned around to leave.

"I really do want to get along with you. Sorry if I came off a little strong earlier. I'm new at this whole 'friends' thing…" Ash confessed, her last sentence was spoken barely audible enough that anyone nearby could have missed it, but Kimiko heard.

Kimiko frowned in concern. Ash actually sounded genuine—

No. She cannot allow this girl to deceive her. Then again, maybe Kimiko was allowing the whole 'Dyris disaster' cloud her judgment.

Kimiko sighed, then spoke gently. "Wait." Ash immediately stopped and looked back at the one who called her.

"How about that girl-to-girl talk you wanted?" Kimiko offered meekly. "Maybe we can even sort out all our differences."

Ash's face immediately brightened.

"Really?!"

"Really." Kimiko smiled.

"So, umm, does this mean we're friends?" Ash shyly asked.

"Umm, sure?" Kimiko wasn't exactly sure how to respond to such a blunt question.

"You little ripper!" Ash exclaimed in glee. "That's friend number two!" Kimiko couldn't help but giggle. For someone who is suppose to be older, Ash sure acted a lot like a little kid on a Christmas morning.

As the two girls started walking towards their room together, Ashleigh remembered something she wanted to clarify with Kimiko. "Oh! By the way, don't worry about me and Brazil. He's more like an annoying little brother who gets to boss me around," Ash added.

"What?" Kimiko's eyes shifted nervously as her cheeks began to turn a brighter red. "Wh-wh-why would I worry about something like that?" she stammered.

Ash chuckled at seeing Kimiko's change in demeanor. "I guess no reason."

_And I guess it was a good investment to buy the sequel to _Guide to Making Friends for the IGNORANT: Guide to Detecting Romance for the IGNORANT.

* * *

**(1) Once again, this is NOT because Ash has a crush on Rai or anything like that. It's because she DOES trust him and feels guilty about lying to him, although she doesn't realize it at that time. **

**Subtle Rai x Kimiko moment :3 Or maybe not so subtle…probably not compared to the show. Now THAT was subtle.**

**You may be wondering why Raimundo didn't bring along more Shen Gong Wu to use against Hannibal. My answer is: he underestimated Hannibal since he has no Shen Gong Wu to use (at least that's what I checked on the wiki. I was too lazy to actually go through all the episodes and keep tabs on who has what XD ). Yup, that's the best excuse I can come up with.**

**You're gonna laugh at this, but what had me stumped for the longest time (one of the many reasons I haven't published this chapter earlier) was trying to come up with a wise saying for Master Fung to share with Omi. In fact, what I wrote might just not mean anything at all. Haha.**

**Another reason it took me a while to release this chapter is because I was making sure nothing I wrote here will clash with what I write later. Continuity matters :] I'm still not 100% sure whether everything is perfectly fine, but I'll make changes and make a note of those changes in future chapters.**

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**Some shout outs!**

**Thanks to Opal of Peace (once more), FFVIIGirlX, and lolistarkiller for favoriting this story!**

**I also would like to thank FFVIIGirlX (again), Ways, Kyuubi16, and PurplePandasLoVe for following!**

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**krikanalo: Aww, thanks! You are seriously so sweet for reviewing (and complimenting!). *blush***

**FFVIIGirlX: Virtual cookie, yay! Thanks! That review made me smile like an idiot. Haha. Writing is not really my strong suit, so I don't have a lot of confidence in it XD That is why I became an engineer ;] Also, I've seen some great writing out here in the fanfiction world, so I'm thinking, "Ooh, I need to step up my game." Haha.**

**PurplePandasLoVe: Thank you! I hope I don't disappoint in the future! I'll try to update more frequently, I just need to stop making trips to Disneyland. Haha. But I'm trying to use my annual pass a lot to make the price of it worth it.**


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